The Wonderland Chronicles: prequel
by The Great Magician Thaddeus
Summary: After the death of the ones she loved most, Amu has made some subtle changes, thats taken everyone around her a while to finally realize. But did they realize too late, and how is Ikuto handling the whole situation? Amuto!
1. Chapter 1

**Okay so I was really torn when I wrote this because there's honestly not any real Amuto in it, but this story is necessary for me to kick off the series I'm writing. I thought about simply making this into a 1****st**** chapter, but then you guys would be stuck reading an extremely long 1****st**** chapter. Or at least I think so. There's a lot of detail that has gone into this story, and I definitely appreciate any reviews or helpful tips, comments nice words of encouragement. :D lol**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Shugo Chara…..sadly. *sigh***

**Ps- when you see whole paragraphs in italics then that means it's a flashback. You'll switch between past and present a lot in this story so I just wanted to make that clear. **

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Chapter One

Amu was distantly aware of the cool hand that gently caressed her burning forehead. Her world was on fire, and her throat felt raw, and she briefly recalled the giant bottle of vodka she had downed 30 minutes prior.

The hand slipped down slowly from her forehead and found its way to her cheek cupping the side of her face in a loving manner, while concerned pools of amethyst peered down at her through messy bangs.

She let out a soft smile, lifting her hands to his face as she snuggled a little more into the offered appendage. "What's with the face?" she whispered kindly, a slight frown marring her features.

The eyes seemed to loom closer and Amu's mind fleetingly registered that it was probably due to the fact that he was lowering his face closer to her own. The eyes seemed to lower a bit into slits, his eyebrows scrunching together, and a concerned expression had appeared to be permanently etched onto his face.

He frowned, moving his face away from hers enough to show the empty vodka bottle he held in one hand. Amu's frown became progressively deeper. "Where did you get this?" he said disapprovingly. There was a pregnant pause, in which Ikuto stared accusingly at her.

Amu was too drunk, and too angry to feel the need to justify her actions, so she simply stated, "I found it." She crossed her arms, and turned her head to the side so that she was now facing the couch.

Unfortunately her reply only furthered Ikuto's agitation at the current situation. "Oh really?" he paused to look back at the bottle of liquor in his possession before continuing, "I don't think I believe that you simply _found it_." He placed special emphasis as he quoted her. Amu's eyes lowered into slits, glaring viscously at the couch upon hearing those words. She turned to face him quickly, almost instantly regretting the action as she clutched her head in her hands, a pained expression flashing across her face.

Ikuto felt a trickle of sympathy flow through him but it didn't last as he directed his attention back to the source of her pain. He tried a different approach, "_Why_ do you have this?" he inquired. Amu glared at him, but replied tersely, "Because I can."

Ikuto sighed in frustration, "You're only 19, you're not allowed to drink this legally yet." He continued on, "So _why,_" he pointed at Amu, "do _you_ have this." He then pointed to the empty glass bottle in his hands.

If this were any other day and the situation was different Amu would have laughed. The notorious tease Ikuto, was worrying over her like an over-protective mother. But the problem was that this wasn't any other day and the situation wasn't different. This was taking place here and now and there wasn't really anything she could do about it.

Amu let out an aggravated moan, before sighing resignedly to herself. She felt awful, physically and mentally. She felt as though she let down not only Ikuto but herself as well. She had never liked alcohol; she could even go so far as to say that she detested it about as much as she despised Gozen the head of Easter Inc. and the man who set out to find the Embryo for his own twisted desires.

But when she found herself drowning in her own misery she decided why not mask it in the scent of rancid smelling liquor. Almost everyone else did; so why couldn't she?

Amu's brief moment of self-pity was cut short by the impatient tap of Ikuto's foot on the hardwood floor. She redirected her attention towards him, before answering, "I wanted to feel better….." She let the sentence drag, a small silence following. For some strange reason seeing Ikuto look at her the way he was made her want to cry, and before she could stop herself tears were welling up in the corners of her eyes, threatening to spill over.

They seemed to promise a sudden release of frustration and pain but warned that there was possibly no end, to them if she let them begin their trek across her pouty porcelain cheeks.

Ikuto had seemed to sense what was to come, as he quickly set the bottle down and made his way to the tiny creature in front of him. She stared off into space not even bothering to register the arms that circled around her, pulling her flush against Ikuto's chest.

Her mind zeroed in on her life and events now passed, some recent others old. Ikuto lifted one hand to gently stroke Amu's magenta hair. As she had aged her hair gradually grew darker, her once bubblegum pink hair was now a beautifully rich magenta red. It was pink that much was for sure, but it was darker and much more refined, beautifully elegant as the soft underlying tones of purple and red lay hidden just beneath the surface.

Her eyes now pools of molten gold, were alluring, and undoubtedly very mature. They held a type of wisdom and age not seen in many young girls her age, or even adults who were several years her senior. But that small spark of pain flickered every once in awhile, and if one knew her well enough you would know that she was thinking of her family.

Amu had been happy, indescribably happy with the way her life had been turning out. Her childhood crush and very first love had begun to gradually return her feelings. Tadase her prince charming with an inferiority complex. It was funny and amusing while at the same type strangely endearing, but she didn't mind; it was his small quirks and his seemingly unyielding charm that made her blush and stutter whenever he was near.

Nadeshiko had seemingly still remained overseas, diligent in her studies, and Amu had been content to wait for her. Yaya and Koukai grew fond of each other eventually becoming a couple, causing Yaya to mature a bit and act more her age. She still craved sweets but she was more mature with her speech and no longer referred to herself in the third person.

Tadase grew into a handsome young man, his hair remaining the same length always cropped short and he still held an air of innocence and command about him.

Amu had gradually figured that this was what drew both herself and all of their friends to him. He had somehow managed to hold them together with his attention grabbing presence alone. It was only until later that through their own little personal flairs and experiences, did they use those to solve their differences and remain close.

Amu herself had matured, she had let her hair remain short, but let it grow just a bit more. Her figure filling out more as she began to grow out of adolescence, and her facial features becoming much more refined and mature. She was beautiful that much was certain but she remained humble, calming down a bit. She was explosive as usual but a little less so. She no longer felt it necessary to scream whenever she was overly excited, or even just plain excited.

She had grown into a wonderful older sister and friend, and when she graduated she felt like there was nothing in the world that could stop her. Until that fateful day.

_It was raining and Amu had stayed in her room all day, lounging about and talking idly with her charas. _

Amu was slipping and she knew it. She was becoming lost in her memories as Ikuto continued to gently stroke her hair; sometimes moving to the side of her face but always going back to her hair. He hid his face in the crook of her neck pulling her tightly to himself, letting his mind wander without direction.

_Ami had a performance that day; March 23, 2008 to be exact. She had been so excited, chattering idly to herself, her mind producing fantastic images of fame. Her singing on a stage, in front of millions, stealing their hearts and wowing them to the point of no return. Of course the stealing their hearts part was metaphorical…not that Ami would ever understand what Amu was talking about. One before this day Ami had eventually laid an egg herself, and woke up the next morning giggling and smiling brightly. She had burst into Amu's room in a rush of excitement and overflowing with enthusiasm. She had woken Amu from her deep slumber early, thrusting her hands in her face as Amu blearily tried to make out the shape of the oval figure sitting demurely in her sisters' hand. _

_It was Ran who woke first flying over to see what the commotion was about. And upon getting a good look at the object of attention she squealed happily screaming "DOKI DOKI!!" While thrusting her arms in the air in a good one-two punch of success. _

_Later that day Ami's egg had hatched producing a pint sized little chara that had a tiny microphone and her own pink version of Utaus' stage dress. Amu had explained everything that she had needed to know, placing special emphasis on everything she deemed important for her younger sibling to understand. _

Amu's Eyes watered as she thought of her younger sister. She remembered that day had been very special to Ami. That was the day when Ami realized she would pursue her hearts dream to the fullest. A small tear slipped off the side of her face landing with a small 'plop' on Ikuto's hand. He didn't mind though; he simply lifted his hand to his face and licked away the offending droplet, quietly reveling in its salty taste.

_A year later Ami had been noticed by a talent agent and scouted. Amu's family had been ecstatic to hear to hear the good news. Ami especially was overjoyed, rushing home and telling Amu right away. _

_Ami was taken to the interview the next week and was a sure hit with the company. They promised to put her through something they called "Idol Training" In which they would teach her everything that she needed to know about being a star. _

_Amu was proud of her younger sister for discovering her dream and living it, and encouraged her whenever she could. One year later and two months after Amu's high school graduation Ami was on her way to her second debut performance. _

Amu recalled handing Ami her favorite umbrella, and helping her parents with their raincoats, before backing away slowly and leaving them with a parting smile and wishing them a safe trip and good luck. The thought seemed to unlock two more tears.

Each falling from separate eyes, trailing slowly across her cheeks, before hanging on the tip of her chin, and from there, falling quickly onto her lap. Amu hugged her knees to her chest while Ikuto nuzzled her neck, blowing softly onto the sensitive skin. His warm breath trailing across her skin like gossamer strands leaving goosbumps in their wake.

His eyes fluttered close as he lay his head against Amu's shoulder turning his attention to her shoulder blade. He gently rubbed the side of his against it, purring quietly hoping to quell Amu's depression. A small smile fluttered across her face at the sound and she lifted a hand to gently pat the top of his head. She let it slip, but not before Ikuto caught it within his own, moving it slowly to cup the side of his face.

He gently repositioned them so that they were now lying on the sofa, Amu's back pressed firmly against his chest so as to keep her from falling. His two arms circled her waist, while he rested his chin upon the top of her head. Amu's tears began to fall faster trailing more continuously across her face as she continued to relive the events of that dreaded day. How long had it been since she last thought of that horrible day; almost a year now?

_Her parents left Amu seeing them out the door. She closed it softly behind her once she was certain they were gone before heading back up to her room. Over the year Amu had begun to change her room a bit. There was much less pink about the room, now shades of purple and deep magenta was scattered about. Large fluffy pillows lay haphazardly all over her bed, a corner lamp sat politely off to the right of her bed, located next to the sliding doors of her balcony._

_Beautiful images painted of the night sky were pinned skillfully to her ceiling. While the silhouettes of trees were painted on her walls, against a dark indigo backdrop. Throwing herself onto her bed, she repositioned herself so that she was more or less draped across a deep purple sea of fluffy duvet covers and magenta pillows. _

_She let out a content sigh, her eyes fluttering shut. She was almost asleep until she felt her mattress shift more to the side. Opening her eyes, she stared lazily at the intruder who was now lying on her bed smirking at her._

_She rolled onto her stomach slowly as she let her head rest on one hand while the other reached out towards Ikuto's mass of messy deep blue hair. He closed his eyes in anticipation hoping for a nice pat on the head, only to be surprised when her hand quickly changed direction and flicked him on the forehead. His eyes opened slightly his face set in a deep scowl. _

_Amu grinned at him, teasing him at how she had tricked him. Only to back away slowly as he got up on all fours, his eyes assessing every movement she made. _

_And he pounced. _

Amu smiled slightly at that bit. She had never realized until recently how close she had become to Ikuto, he was always there to comfort her, always there to tease her, and in short _he was always_ just _there_. But their relationship had never actually been anything other then a tease back then, nothing but some harmless fun to past the time; until she received that damned phone call.

_He had tickled her mercilessly, and it seemed as if he would never stop, her sides hurt and she clutched at her stomach while she feebly tried to fend off the opposing hands._ _Her laughter echoed throughout the house and Ikuto's face held a smile of pure joy and utter mischievousness. But it all ended as the shrill ringing of her cell phone abruptly cut through the laughter. _

_The number was that of her parents, it was her dads' phone more precisely. She rolled her eyes a small smile playing on the tips of her lips, as she answered the phone. She figured it was just her father checking up on her or telling her that their stay in Osaka would be extended because something came up. But that wasn't the case at all._

_The voice on the other line was male but unmistakably foreign. This was not someone she knew; no family friend or acquaintance. This was undoubtedly the voice of a stranger._

_Amu's smile fell quickly and Ikuto looked worriedly at her expression. There was a brief pause on the other line, before they continued. But Amu never heard the rest of the sentence, as the phone fell from her hands, landing with a small 'thunk' on her bedroom floor. Her expression had morphed into one of utter disbelief and extreme pain. Tears began to force their way out of her eyes, flowing down her face in their own self-created stream of emotion. _

_Her parents…her sister…they had died… _

Amu choked back a sob as she remembered the call, how she had felt as if her whole world had come crashing down around her. How alone and utterly afraid she had felt. The tears began to fall faster and her whole frame was wracked with the force of her silent sobs.

Ikuto's hand moved up to grip her forearms gently, moving his face so that his lips brushed the tips of Amu's earlobe, whispering silent nothings and purring softly into her neck.

The shaking was a little less violent now, but the tears never slowed as Amu continued to relive that horrible moment in her life once more.

_Oh how she had cried. She cried and cried all day and all through the night. Ikuto never once leaving her side. He stayed next to her gently stroking her hair, and purring softly into the crook of her neck. Nuzzling her back, and hugging her close. He had comforted her as much as he could, and eventually she calmed enough to sleep. _

_Her body, her mind, her soul, her mental state, she was just so tired that she fell asleep right there in his arms, sleeping the entire day away and waking in the middle of the night to find Ikuto passed out next to her. He clutched onto her hand tightly, the side of his face pressed firmly against it as he slept soundly beside her. _

_Amu had never really seen this softer side of Ikuto before, the one where he cared and took care of her. He had stayed and helped her though _

_something that she never expected anyone to stay for. He didn't ask what was wrong, he didn't pry; he simply pulled her close helped and helped her to let it all out. _

_Amu smiled gently, intent on returning the favor. She stealthily replaced her hand with a small pillow, before slipping silently out of her bedroom door and down the stairs into the kitchen. _

_That night she prepared a breakfast feast for Ikuto and herself, and even set aside plates for all the charas. When she finished it was early in the morning and Amu hummed pleasantly to herself as she made her way upstairs to her room. _

_Upon her bed she found a half awake Ikuto and all four little Charas snuggled together atop a comfortable pillow next to his head. Instead of waking them she turned to head back down the stairs when someone clasped firmly onto her hand halting any forward movement. She turned to gaze happily at Ikuto, whose deep amethyst pools swirled with concern. _

_**Are you okay?**__ They seemed to implore. _

_Amu squeezed his hand lightly, and offered a kind smile in return._

_**I will be…**_

A year ago… this had all taken place, and Amu's life had been changed forever. Amu's parents and Ami were cremated and scattered into the ocean, the currents taking them back to the beginning of all creation.

_Amu had indeed began to go back to normal, well as normal as she would be. As she continued to heal, Ikuto would be there with her every step of the way, smiling warmly down at her, occasionally offering a teasing smirk. _

_Her family's house had already been paid off before they passed away so she was allowed to keep it, as long as she managed to pay the annual bills. Amu got two jobs, and worked often to keep her mind busy, and to help add a sense of purpose to her life. _

Golden pools turned to face the man behind her. She cupped his cheek lightly with her left hand and stared lovingly at him. They were in no defining relationship but she knew that she needed him. She wasn't sure in what way but she understood that she had to have him a part of her life.

She offered him a watery smile, even though his eyes were closed; she still felt the need to smile. She felt better again, not completely but definitely more at ease then she was before. She made to turn back in the other direction, and head to sleep; it was late after all, but was stopped as Ikuto's eyes opened slowly and both hands cupped her delicate face.

She looked at him curiously not sure what he had wanted, but quickly realized that she wished she had never turned around in the first place upon hearing his answer,

Deep amethyst eyes peered down at her accusingly, "You have yet to answer my original question Amu."

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**WOOHOO 10 pages. That's a new record for myself. I had intended for this chapter to be a lot longer but its late and I have school tomorrow….damn. lol anyways I was really nervous when I wrote this, and definitely took a lot of time rereading and editing and re-editing this chapter. This story definitely means a lot to me…. while it has nothing to do with my personal life it still holds a great importance over me. I feel that this story will either make me or break me as an aspiring author, and I want this story to be as amazing I can make it. Anyways PLEASE review I live for those things you just don't know. :D **

**Here you go younggryffindor the first chapter of new story I hope you liked it. 3**

**The Great Magician Thaddeus **

**(yes I'm a girl, and yes I'm aware that's a boys name its only a nickname people)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Alrighty then here it is chapter two for those of you reading my story!!! Please enjoy!**

**Also I don't know what to do with the genre anymore. at this point I'm no longer certain is tragedy....?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Shugo Chara, Sunny Terentino, or Elizabeth....**

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**Chapter Two**

She paused, stuttering slightly. She was definitely taken aback by the sudden question. Of course he wouldn't forget; how could she even begin to think that he would forget something so serious. Amu mentally palmed her forehead at her own stupidity.

But that brief moment in which he had let her cry it all out, just like he did a year ago was a beautiful one and she would always treasure it. She promised herself that she would never forget that.

She cupped his hands within her own, clutching them lightly. She removed them from her face and stood up, walking solemnly to her living room window

She hugged herself for a brief moment trying to figure out where to possibly start when a small voice piped in from the background. "She got it from her job." Amu's eyes snapped open, whirling around she faced Ran, one of her many Charas.

Aww damn she had forgotten about them during her brief lapse. Ran was the embodiment of her girlish desires and was undoubtedly the most honest of the four that she had.

When Ran had first become real and proved to Amu that she could indeed become the girl that she had always wanted to be, Ran was clothed in an adorable hot pink cheer leader ensemble. Pom poms, ribbons, and even a cute little visor included. Ran was the full package, and Amu had loved her.

But as Ikuto gazed at Ran now his eyes widened considerably. What had happened to her? Her cheer leading outfit gone, only to be replaced with a black miniskirt, and a hotpink off-the-shoulder t-shirt. Her visor? It was replaced with a black head band with a large Pink heart attached it, and a large black 'X' was placed upon entire posture screamed confused and angry and Amu had no idea what to do with herself at this point. Ran had just blown her cover; she had been discovered.

Fuck…

Ikuto moved his gaze from Ran to Amu, his stare twice as accusing as it was before. "Amu," he drawled out lazily, "Would you care to elaborate?" He flicked his hand towards Ran who was wearing a guilty expression, shooting Amu an apologetic glance.

"W-well" she stuttered, "y-you s-see," Ikuto only raised an eyebrow his stance portraying that of an expectant father.

"Like Ran, said I got it from my job…" Amu let out a small defeated sigh, this was not going well. She hadn't even expected Ikuto to drop by tonight, but then again she should've known better.

"I think you're lying. He advanced a step closer; Amu's eyes darted in every which way trying her hardest not to stare him in the eye. "You work at a pleasant little café that holds a no –alcohol policy." He came closer, "So where did you get this?" He halted in his advances, his eyebrow still raised, and his stare as accusing as ever.

Aww man this was just not working out how Amu had hoped. In fact if she could've avoided this entire situation she would've done so in a heartbeat. But her secret was out and she could run no longer.

"I have a third job..." she shifted uncomfortably under his intense stare. If looks could kill she would indeed be dead by now and lying peacefully in a grave clutching a beautiful bouquet of withering roses.

Ikuto's eyes seemed to narrow even more to the point where they were near slits. "What do you mean a_ third job_?" Oh he was angry now; Amu seemed to shrink in size at his words. "You have two jobs right now Amu! You're living comfortably and your bills are paid on time! So why did you feel the need to get a third job?" He spat the words out as if they were poison on his tongue.

"W-well….u-umm… y-you se-see..." Amu continued to fidget under his scrutinizing stare.

"Please!" He nearly shouted, "Elaborate Amu, because I think I don't quite '_see_' what it is that you're trying to tell me here." He moved one step closer his knuckles starch white from clenching his hands so hard.

Amu visibly gulped and she seemed to be losing her nerve. "Well I f-felt as i-if I had too m-much free time." She whispered the last part quietly to herself, hoping that she wouldn't have to repeat herself.

Ikuto almost laughed outright at her explanation. _Too much free time_?! What a joke, Amu was constantly swamped with work, and she never once complained, and Ikuto had a distinct feeling that having _too much free time_ was not the real reason why she did that.

"Liar." He said it almost viscously but watched his tone so as not to make her cry again.

Amu's eyes snapped open so fast he was afraid she might suffer from whiplash, but held it back.

"A liar?" she snarled, "So fucking what?!" her posture went rigid and her eyes were ablaze. "I'm so sick and tired of being trampled on and treated as if I'm some type of little kid who doesn't know how to handle grown up facts of life!"

Grown up facts of life? What the hell was she talking about? Ikuto went slack jawed at her response but wasn't given anytime to reply as Amu continued her tirade.

She threw her arms out in frustration, and stomped her foot like a little girl throwing a temper tantrum." You know fucking what?! I'm nine-fucking-teen! And I think that-judging by how my life has gone so far- that I'm old enough to handle what ever the world throws at me!"

She rounded on Ikuto pivoting on the balls of her feet her face inches from his own as she whispered scathingly,

"And for the people who I considered my best friends; for them to belittle me! For them to believe that I just wouldn't have been able to handle-," she started pacing but then whirled on him again, "to handle knowing something about them. Something that they oh-so-conveniently just forgot to bring up for my sake-," she practically ground out those words as if they killed her to do so. "_Because they thought I couldn't handle it_?" the words were uttered weakly and disbelievingly as if she didn't want to admit to them, "Is just downright offending!"

Ikuto didn't know what to say; what could he? He had no idea what the hell she was talking about, all he knew was that she was extremely disappointed in the people around her and herself as well. But she hadn't completely answered his question. Knowing that he probably shouldn't, he went ahead and tried again.

"Amu!"

"WHAT!?" she snapped, whirling on him. He remained unfazed and crossed his arms.

"I'm going to ask you again; where did you get this bottle of vodka?" Her eyes widened disbelievingly, appalled that he would still continue to bother her about that when she was clearly more concerned about other things.

And input the spiteful attitude; Amu crossed her arms mirroring his posture, looking at him as if she quite frankly didn't give a shit. "I don't think I should explain myself to you."

Ikutos' eyes no longer held shock, or confusion, his eyes were flaming. Oh she was going to explain herself to him and that was a fact, he didn't care how long it took to get a straight answer out of her; he going to get it.

Amu's eyes lost a bit of their rebellious sparkle, confused that he hadn't retorted angrily back at her yet. Looking at his eyes, she quickly regretted it, seeing the raw anger and frustration that burned within his now coal black eyes.

"You will explain yourself to me, or I will turn you into the authorities, and leave you there!" He looked her directly in the eye, a dead serious expression carved onto his attractive features. Yoru trembled quietly off in a corner as Ikuto's angry aura oozed throughout the room. Amu looked at him disbelievingly.

Was that it? Was that honestly the best he could do? Turn her into the authorities; what a joke, Amu had dealt with worse. "You honestly want to know where I got that bottle?!" She screamed back, "I got it from Elizabeth; she was in charge that night and said I looked like I could use it!" She retorted angrily at him not caring what he thought at this point.

Elizabeth?! Who the hell hands a nineteen-year-old a bottle of straight vodka?! Telling her that she looked like she could use it?! What the hell kind of job did Amu have?!

Ikuto made to reply angrily but Amu beat him to it, "And you know what?! I did need it! I hate alcohol and it tasted terrible; but I needed some sort of pick-me-up because I felt like shit!"

Ikuto was dumbfounded. She needed a pick-me-up? Why did she even need one in the first place, she had gone to meet the Kiddy King Tadase at a café' today. She was so giddy and excited at going to hang out with him on her day off that it seemed like she was floating on cloud nine!

"Why in the world would you need a 'pick-me-up' as you so delicately put it?" He implored.

"Because today I realized just what exactly it was the people around me had honestly thought of me." She bit the words out, her tone so sharp that Ikuto had to stop himself from visibly flinching.

He moved closer, his hand lifting to caress the side of her face. "And what exactly do these people think of you?" He asked gently, his eyes searching within her own golden pools.

Turning away she stepped out of his soft embrace, closing her eyes tightly, and clenching her hands. She waited a bit, trying hard to collect herself before beginning, "They simply think of me as a child…" the words were uttered so softly that Ikuto wasn't too sure whether or not it was just the wind playing tricks on him; but they were inside so that couldn't possibly have been it.

He began, his tone soft and caring, "That's not tru-," but he was cut off as the front door burst open, and a jumble of blonde hair came tumbling inside. "Hey! Amu I forgot to tell you not to drink it straight! It'll leave you with a nightmare of a hangover tomorrow morning!" The blonde piped cheerily from her sprawled out position on the floor.

She stood up quickly her hair going in every direction, her bangs falling in her face and her grey eyes held a sparkle of mischievousness. Her clothing was slightly disheveled, and looked as if she had been working at a bar; Ikutos eyes narrowed dangerously.

"_Amu_," he drawled out lazily again, and in that moment Amu knew she was in for it, "is this new job of yours at a bar?" He was glowering at her, and Amu didn't know what to do. But thankfully the recent intruder did, and marching over to where Amu now stood, she slung her arm over her shoulder and stared at Ikuto defiantly. "And what if she was?" She asked with an eyebrow raised, her expression nonchalant as she casually inspected her nails. "What would you," she looked pointedly at Ikuto, "possibly do about it?"

"I'd tell her to quit." He said simply. Amu wanted to laugh and apparently so did Elizabeth because that's exactly what she did. She giggled to her hearts content almost doubling over from the sheer hilarity of his reply. Which left Ikuto confused because he hadn't been joking, he was completely serious.

"I don't see what's so funny about this situation." He retorted angrily. This only furthered her giggles, and eventually she calmed herself enough to reply, "You're doing exactly what pissed Amu off in the first place!" She covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes sparkling giddily.

Ikuto looked like he was child denied his favorite piece of candy; annoyed. "And what, per se, do you mean by that?"

"I mean," She said, "that you're treating her like child." Here the giggles had finally ceased and in their stead an accusing glare locked onto his person. "You know," She said turning her attention down to her disheveled clothing, fixing them slightly, "Amu has told me a lot about you. Especially all of the wonderful things that you had done for her when she needed someone by her side the most." She looked at him again but then returned her attention once more back to fixing her appearance.

"And seeing you right now, right here, treating her the way you are," she dusted the invisible dust off from her clothing, "I don't think I can honestly believe that you're the oh-so-amazing Ikuto that I've heard so much about." She glanced scornfully at him as if challenging him.

He didn't back down, " Who I am is of no business to you, I care for Amu and I only want the most out of life to come to her. And I don't think that working at some bar, "he spat, "is going to give her that."

Amu was pissed. How dare him! He of all people had the nerve to say something like that. Sure he meant well, but he was not her father, and he had no right to treat her as such. He was her dear friend, and sure they had their moments but this was out of the question! Amu just had enough, and she was sick and tired of being treated the way she has been.

Marching toward the blonde standing stubbornly beside her, she grabbed her arm, and dragged her outside, tossing a quick and angry, "I'll be leaving now!" as she went.

All the while a completely bewildered and slack jawed Ikuto stood standing in the middle of her living room floor.

What the hell just happened? Ikuto really wasn't sure, but one thing was for certain; since when did Amu get so good at avoiding his questions?

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Elizabeth was not the sort of girl to let herself be pulled around and led wherever the hell someone wanted her to go. And that's exactly why she had run away from home when she was fifteen in the first place.

She was the daughter of some filthy rich tycoon, and his wife, was the duchess of some foreign country who she could give a rat's ass about. She wasn't going to go to some stupid ball, some dumb ass formal dinner, and she sure as hell wasn't going to let her parents decide who she was going to marry.

So after waving her parents goodbye at the airport as they left for their annual week-long vacation to the Bahamas, she headed for home as fast as she could. Bleaching her hair so that it was platinum blonde was the first step, and then she died the inside layers pitch-black to give it an edge. When she was done with that, she packed her bags, headed for the bank and with-drew approximately one million dollars from their families bank account. High tailing it out of England on the first flight out that night.

No one would miss the money, it was chump change to her parents and if when they noticed –if the ever will- that it was missing; Elizabeth would be long gone. Safe from the clutches of her over-bearing parents.

She left England, and headed straight for Tokyo, already knowing how to speak the language due to the endless lessons her parents invested in when she was younger in an attempt to turn her into the "perfect lady". She scoffed at their stupidity.

She stayed in a hotel for a week, before accidentally stumbling into a bar late one night. She had thought it was the rave she was looking for, someone tipped her off about it, and she was trying her hardest to find it.

But what she found was much better. The crowd was loud and boisterous, they had so much energy that she couldn't help but get lost in the sea of emotion herself. Bounding in she laughed and danced, and partied her heart out.

In the end she woke the next morning lying on top of the bar with a head splitting hangover. But she didn't mind too much. What really got her attention though was the fact that she woke up on a bar, lying next to a half naked man.

He was still clothed from the waist down, but she'd be damned if he wasn't built like a god. Perfectly chiseled, and a goofy lopsided grin spread across his face like a giddy little boy. But what honest-to-god attribute of his that got her heart thumping, and her blood flowing at a million miles a minute, were the two sparkly white fangs that innocently peeped at her from behind those elegantly curved lips.

Her eyes had widened into saucers, her mouth going slack: there before her lay the amazing Mcfly band member Dougie, half naked, and a bottle of Captain Morgan clutched firmly in one hand.

And the best part about it all….he was a _vampire._

Elizabeth swore up and down that this was the most amazing thing that had ever happened to her, in fact it was more then she could've possibly hoped for when she dreamed of adventure after running away. This was without a doubt, a sheer miracle.

Well at least in her eyes, it was. Lost in her musings, Elizabeth had grown completely

unaware of the now waking person behind her. It was only until two well-defined arms wrapped around her midsection did she snap out of it, and looking bewildered at the adorably grinning vampire beside her.

And so she fainted.

Oh yes she fainted, and when she finally came to, she almost fainted again. Because there in front of her Dougie still resided, not once bothering to look anywhere else aside from where she was now resting.

Her cheeks turning a delicate shade of pink, she turned her head with a slight 'humph'.

He managed a small chuckle before Elizabeth's foot connected with his groin in the most painful of ways. Chuckling darkly she dusted herself off and began to make her way out of the bar.

She paused though, taking the time to briefly to look around. She wanted to remember this place. This fantastic place where she had had the time of her life and although most of what she remembered was a bit hazy, she still wanted to keep it in her mind and heart.

Looking around she smiled, and decided that this was what she had needed; the object of her desire, and her new home. She looked around herself contentedly, scanning over every last little detail,' and Elizabeth vowed that she would return again and make something of herself here, here in her new home.

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Amu had managed to drag Elizabeth with her for a great deal of time, tugging at her arm as if she simply was not moving fast enough. And for a time Elizabeth complied; that is until she snapped out of whatever little dream she had been floating around in, decidomg to yank her arm out of Amu's tight grip.

"Where in the hell are you dragging me Amu?"

Amu snorted, "Well obviously I'm taking you to…umm…actually I'm not to certain." Amu's confidence began to whither away quickly and her shoulders began to slump. She had been so caught up in the moment that she had simply left and dragged Elizabeth with her.

Elizabeth smirked knowingly, "You don't know, do you?" she asked. And Amu shook her head sadly. Elizabeth gestured around her, "Take a look at where you're at now." She let her smirk grow, "See anything familiar?"

Amu looked around, assessing the area around her, and when her eyes landed on one sign in particular her eyes seemed to widen considerably.

Without noticing, her feet had unconsciously led her here. Here to her new home and workplace "My Plastered Kiddies".

Elizabeth smiled at her warmly, gesturing for her to continue, and together they walked inside. Amu and Elizabeth turned to remove their jackets and scarves, placing them neatly on the Coat rack placed conveniently by the pub's entrance.

Amu lost in her own thoughts, was startled as a kind voice rang out through the pub.

"It seems to me as if you could both use a nice hot cup of Irish Coffee to warm yourselves up."

Elizabeth's eyes widened into saucers, and she dropped her scarf. For there before them stood the owner of this wonderful home of theirs.

There in all her mysterious and wise beauty stood Sunny Terentino.

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**O M friggin Geezey I can't believe it I manged to produce another 10+ page chapter!!! Aww I'm so proud of myself. :D :D **

**Umm I really don't know what to say here, except thankyou to those of you have read and reviewed you guys have no idea how much I love you! And if you added my story to the alerts list; Arigatou gozaimasu!!! **

**So you know the deal **

**push the pretty green button :D **

**and leave me something nice**

**Please!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Alrighty On to Chapter 3!!!! I'm so excited to keep progressing forward with this story that I end up staying up late to get these chapters up. Although I don't mind it's a thrill to just write these stories in the first place. Hooray for exciting stories!!! **

**Okay moving on **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Shugo Chara, Elizabeth, Sunny Terentino, Mcfly, or Christina. I also do not own C.S Lewis, Aslan, or any of his creations, nor do I own Harry Potter. **

**But I do own…..dun dun dun it's a surprise. ME!! **

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Chapter 3

"Damn straight I want an Irish Coffee!" Elizabeth shouted excitedly. Amu sweat dropped off in the corner, as Elizabeth continued. "Gosh Sunny, today was just so tiring, I mean- there was another dispute between the Gate Keeper, and one of the Higher Ups about who should really be in charge of that damned key."

Amu looked up surprised; key? This had to be important if the Gatekeeper was mad about it. She listened in a little bit more.

"And so then afterwards me and Christina called in Ronii, since she was the only one who could honestly deal with him at the moment-," Sunny interrupted, "Christina and I." Elizabeth simply waved her hand as if to say whatever, and continued on, "So then after she showed up she said that the Higher Ups had someplace they wanted us to inspect- something about it being too quiet over there or whatever."

Sunny raised an eyebrow at this, but allowed her to continue on. Elizabeth sighed blowing a raspberry as she propped her hands up on the counter of the bar. "So when we got there, we found this whole gang of Lycans just sitting around and doing nothing. Which is really strange because they're always doing _something_."

Sunny nodded understandingly, and Amu had to agree, ever since she had become apart of this bar a year ago Lycans were always getting into something and leaving a mess for Elizabeth and Christina to clean up.

"So then," Elizabeth continued, "I was all 'we should ask Ronii about this' and Christina said okay." Sunny just continued to smile, "Then after we called Ronii she said just to write a report and make a copy for the Higher Ups."

Sunny continued to hold an amused expression, as Elizabeth continued ranting. Amu had to admit that it was pretty funny. Those two always had some type of work to do, and Ronii tended to remain as elusive as ever. Amu had seen her before, even said a polite 'hi' as she would bound in and out of the pub.

But often times from what Amu would normally hear, the Higher Ups always had her out doing some type of job. She paused, tapping her chin with her index finger thoughtfully; how did she ever get any sleep? She shrugged her shoulders, not honestly sure if that was a question that would ever be answered, and decided to start opening up the café. It was getting to be about that time, and she figured that she'd take Elizabeths' shift tonight since she was so tired.

Looking over to where Elizabeth was now standing, she watched as Elizabeth's expression turned slightly serious, before flipping her phone shut and beginning to clear the floor. Looking at Elizabeth curiously Amu said, "What are you doing?"

"I'm moving all the tables off to the side, Christina just called and said that it's about to get rowdy and that she needed the floor cleared." Amu made to help when quite suddenly the door was flung open and a squealing blur of grey and black came speeding in.

"Sunny!!!!" it seemed to cry as it flew through the pub at a break-neck speed before tackling Sunny in a fierce hug. The black and grey mass, and Sunny went tumbling in a laughing heap as Elizabeth and a disheveled Christina began to make their way towards them.

Amu walked up to them offering a shy 'hello' to Christina before turning to the front entrance of the pub.

In walked a very tall, and very beautiful young woman, her floor length silver hair swishing softly behind her as she walked forward. Her pretty pale pink eyes glittered kindly, and when she offered a polite smile to Amu, she caught the glimmer of two pearly fangs.

She was a vampire.

This hadn't been the first time that Amu had seen one, in fact Amu had seen quite a few ever since she had started working here; but she had never really paid attention to just how beautiful they really were, having always been so caught up in her own problems.

But now actually taking the time to notice, Amu was left gaping at the sheer ephemeral beauty of this stranger. She walked up to her, a friendly aura emanating from Amu's petite form, "Can I get you something warm to drink? It's awfully chilly outside and I figured you could use it."

The woman flashed her a small smile, the corners of her mouth just barely lifting, "Just a scotch will do, thanks." Nodding her head compliantly, Amu set out behind the bar counter to grab her just what she needed.

Meanwhile more guests had entered the pub their loud voices booming through the air. "We specifically stated in the contract that you will not set foot on Lycan territory off in the East side of town!" Amu distinctly heard the sound of a palm crashing down onto a table loudly, followed closely by more shouting.

"And we specifically remember you signing a contract that stated you would keep your deals, and mischief out of ours!" A chorus of agreement went up around one half of the room.

The shouting continued on as such, hardly any one side scoring above the other. Amu looked over to see what Sunny was going to do about this but apparently she wasn't going to do anything at all, as she just stood off to the corner, preparing drinks for the newcomers.

She turned to Elizabeth and Christina who were both preoccupied discussing something apparently important, but because of the noise Amu couldn't hear what. So if Elizabeth and Christina were busy, and Sunny wasn't doing anything…then who was handling the whole situation?

After handing the vampiress her scotch, Amu grabbed another mug, and began drying it off with a rag as she turned her attention to the middle of the pub.

In the middle of the floor, separated solely by a currently silent jukebox stood two large groups of underworld species: Lycans (of the dog species,) and Vampires

Mainly it was just two of them butting heads -literally- while the rest just stood opposite of each other forming their own sort of wall. And slouching languidly against the jukebox stood a figure clothed in several layers of grey, black, and small hints of purple.

Amu almost dropped the mug she was cleaning out of pure shock, for there stood Ronii, looking for the all world bored out of her damn mind. And she probably was, which surprised her a bit. If that had been Amu in her current situation, she wasn't too sure she'd be able to handle it quite so easily.

Amu continued to watch interestedly, as the events continued to unfold, her eyes catching sight of a mysterious figure ducking silently into the pub. Ronii opened her eyes, an irritated look crossing her features, and an angry aura began to flare out through the room, silencing a nice majority of the pub.

She walked forward, her foots steps completely silent, and the slight chiming of the small bell that hung round her neck was the only indicator of her having moved at all. She

cocked her hip out to the side, clutching it in one hand while the other hand hung limply off to the side, pointing in no real direction. She was definitely agitated, and everyone within a 10 foot radius immediately backed off at the scorching aura she let off.

Amu shivered a bit; was it just her or did the temperature in the room just drop by a few degrees? She stared on, as the two once arguing males before her were now standing side by side, trembling next to each other.

"Now," Ronii began, "since we are all _here_," she gestured indirectly around the pub, "you will behave and do as I say." Looking directly at them, "Or else you will regret having called me out on my day off!" she snapped angrily.

She got days off? That was news, especially to Amu who had thought that there was really no definite 'day off' for people who took orders from the Higher Ups. Figuring that that was something beyond her she continued to watch.

"So tell me, _little boys_," Ronii scathingly drawled out, "what here is your problem?" She tapped her foot for emphasis, not that she needed anything really. That incredibly intimidating aura that seemed to be rolling off the surprisingly tall Asian was enough to scare the devil.

The two males kept quiet suddenly finding their reasons for calling her out rather stupid and indeed very trivial. She tapped her foot again, "Don't tell me that you suddenly regret calling me out here," she began as if she had read their minds, "because, if all it took was a bit of _adult_ supervision to make you behave properly and see your mistake, _then_…" she drew the last part out smirking crookedly at the two beings cowering in front of her.

"Then I'm just going to have to send you both to the Gate keeper, and he'll decide your punishment from there." Her smile was just downright evil at this point, a tone of finality entered her voice as she spoke again, "In fact, I think I just might do that, sending him a nice little note requesting that you both stay there for a month." She stood up straight and dusted off her hands. "Yep, I'm sure he'll whip you boys into shape in no time."

Both of them nodded their heads dumbly, standing up straight as they both tried to offer an apology. She shot them an angry look, and they both fled, heading straight –Amu presumably thought- to the Gate Keeper himself.

A hushed silence filled the pub as if waiting for the black haired girl to turn her attention on someone else, inflicting some type of justified wrath on them. But instead she simply turned to everyone, opening her arms wide, saying, "Now why don't we all pass out a round of drinks, on me!" A loud round of cheers rose up through the pub and suddenly the tense mood was replaced with a cheery and bustling one.

Stepping off to the bar, Ronii, hopped up and sat herself right smack dab on the counter, propping herself up on one hand. She offered Amu a kind smile in return, and then turned her attention to Sunny.

"So what's this I hear about some new conspiracy group?" she asked, accepting a large mug of hot chocolate from Sunny. She let out a content sigh, running a hand through her short, and layered locks.

Sunny looked up at her, "The Higher Ups said its nothing too important; just so long as they don't get their hands on the lock and key." Amu's ears perked, this was the second time tonight that a key was mentioned, and apparently it had a matching lock.

Another sigh was heard from down on the other side of the bar, and Amu looked over to where Elizabeth and Christina now stood, each serving up large trays of liquor.

Amu had met Christina the day after she had met Elizabeth, which was when she got the job at the bar. In fact Elizabeth was the one who had interviewed her, saying that the current owner was busy with an urgent matter and had left her in charge.

So after getting the job, Amu asked to start up right away. Agreeing wholeheartedly with the idea Elizabeth had taken Amu in while the store was closed to show her the ropes, and that's when Christina had come in.

Apparently she was banged up pretty bad, and when Amu had asked about what happened they simply shrugged it off, and told her it was no big deal. Feeling rather suspicious and extremely offended at being treated like a kid, Amu had quickly gone on a tirade about how she thought she was old enough to handle whatever it was that they could throw at her.

Pausing for a bit to hear her out, they looked at each other, and then looked at her shrugging before quickly launching into their story.

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Elizabeth and been the first to tell Amu about how she had wound up here in Tokyo in the first place, gradually leading her though the events that had passed after she had arrived. Amu had found the entire story amazing and wonderful, and couldn't help but feel a bit of envy towards the blonde. She had been so lucky to have had the strength to just get up and leave.

Christina on the other hand had discovered the pub in a whole different way.

She was the quickly rising star author of England, and the U.S. Her stories reaching out amazingly well to millions of teens, within just the span of four months, and the most amazing bit was that she was only sixteen. A year after Elizabeth had stumbled into "My Plastered Kiddies" for the very first time.

She was signed with a major corporation who decided to sponsor if she could produce a brand new novel that exceeded five hundred pages, before the end of the next year. She agreed, confident in her abilities, and set out quickly to prove that she had what it took to make it big in the literate world.

Well one month, before the year was up, and Christina had done just that. She had printed a final copy, and even had it bound. There was a cover drawn specifically for that one story alone, by a professional artist, and it was printed onto a beautifully bound hardcover book. The _only_ copy of the book.

Excited and giddy, she had made her way across the city from her quiet home located near the mountains of Washington, passing by La Push where she decided that she might walk around a bit.

A slushy in one hand, and her book bound neatly in her bag, she contentedly toured the town, lost in her own little world.

Elizabeth had been given orders by the Higher Ups, by then already knowing everything about the Underworld society, to disband a group of renegade werewolves, conveniently located in the quaint little town of La Push. Rushing to finish the job as quickly as possible, she failed to calculate the thought of them ever taking a hostage, and in the end it was their undoing.

The werewolves having been tipped off had reacted quickly through the panic. Pretending to be a regular man, one of them took off down the sidewalk trying to pinpoint the most vulnerable looking human of the bunch. His gaze soon landed on an obliviously happy Christina walking towards his general direction.

Smirking slightly he took off at a fast pace, pushing people off to the side and upon reaching Christina he slung her up over his shoulder, and turned quickly into an abandoned alley. Before she had the chance to react she was knocked unconscious and bound with ropes.

Some time later, most likely about three to four hours, Christina had woken slightly. Everything was blurry and the voices seemed more like an annoying buzz that refused to go away. Trying to make sense of what was going on, her hazy gaze landing on several large and burly figures standing in front of her.

She had let out a small moan, and one of the large blobs seemed to have heard her, for he quickly pressed a funny smelling rag to her face and she passed out again.

When she next awoke, she was lying in a hospital, an IV sticking out of her arm, and several other wires attached to her body. Looking next to her, she saw a thin and petite girl, her hair a platinum blonde with a black undertone in her inner layers. Her eyes went from a cloudy grey to a bright blue the minute she had noticed Christina was awake.

Introducing herself as Elizabeth she quickly got to work explaining to Christina exactly what had happened, leaving hardly anything out. But when Christina had asked about her bag, Elizabeth simply looked at her puzzled as if to say 'what bag?'.

Her world shattered, the one and only copy of her book gone. No backup or anything. Christina felt utterly stupid, and alone. Elizabeth sensing her unease, tried hard to cheer her up, telling her about this wonderful place called "My Plastered Kiddies", and how she came to find it.

Cheering Christina up considerably, she decided to accept Elizabeths invitation to come to Japan with her, and stay for a bit. So she packed a few things, then two days later left the country, to discover the world.

At first Christina had been astonished at the diversity of everyone there, but soon adjusted, quickly making the decision to move in with Elizabeth. And from there, Christina became an official staff member of "My Plastered Kiddies" happily living her life out without hardly ever having to meet any type of exact deadlines.

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Amu thought the story was rather sweet, especially compared to how she wound up working for "My Plastered Kiddies". Amu let out a small sigh as she continued to serve the rush of Newcomers. Apparently there was a big fight that had taken place on 34 Kings St, between a leprechaun and a dwarf. What a strange lot they had tonight. Shaking her head, she looked up to see a kid walk in with fire for hair. Literally speaking _his head_ was _on fire_, and it was _green_.

Although it was a strange sight indeed it definitely hasn't been the strangest. Two weeks after Amu had started working at the bar, she had begun to close up shop when she heard the distinct ruffle of silken fabric breeze by her. Turning around quickly she had begun politely, "I'm sorry but we're closed no-," the words died in her throat as she got a good look at their 'customer'.

There in front of her stood Shiva. Well at least an exact replica of Shiva, Amu hadn't been too certain whether it was or not, and she quickly just chalked it up to that it wasn't really any of her business. So after requesting that he please take a seat, she went and grabbed Elizabeth and told her what happened.

After that Amu had never seen the Shiva-look-a-like again. But he did prompt some questions in her mind. If vampires and werewolves suddenly started showing up into her life ever since she started working here; then wouldn't it be possible that mini-gods as well as the major gods existed as well?

Amu really didn't know what to make of that question, so in the end she thought it best to wait. If it were really important then Christina or Elizabeth would tell her. She never bothered to rely on Sunny simply because she herself had been very busy handling something in Italy at the time. Up until today Amu had never seen Sunny Terentino in her life, and in all honesty she felt pretty honored.

Amu sighed again, it was something she seemed to be doing a lot lately, and glanced over to where Ronii now sat in a heated discussion with a large group of Vampires. Something good most have come out of it because she suddenly leapt up into the air, double fisting it as she went, screaming a jubilant "BOOYAH!"

The room seemed to clear out so that there was a large opening in the middle of the pub. And the group of five walked into it, each taking up a place as instruments were randomly procured. And as the last one took his position in front of the other four, an old vintage 1920's microphone was handed to him.

The room went dead and silent, and it seemed as if the whole world had stopped breathing. Amu glanced at Elizabeth and Christina trying to gauge their reactions but they both seemed to lean in towards the center of the room as well, eagerly anticipating the next move.

"_SHE'S_ _GOT A LIP RING AND FIVE COLORS IN HER HAIR_!!!" And just like that the room erupted into joyous shouts, each one more encouraging then the last. Christina and Elizabeth seemed to be in hysterics singing along at the top of their lungs as the five vampires continued to wow the crowd with their amazing performance skills.

"_Not into fashion, but I love the things she wears_!" They continued, and Ronii seemed to just appear out of nowhere, dancing in time with the song and just cutting loose. If one didn't know that she didn't drink any type of liquor at all, one would be sorely tempted to believe that she was by far the most plastered kiddy out there.

Amu continued to bob along to the song, serving drinks and cleaning mugs as she went. But eventually the song had to end and Amu was left to go back to her musings. Which wasn't so bad, but sometimes she couldn't help but wonder how she had really ever managed to adjust to such a crowd in her life.

Two years ago, if a kid was walking around with green flames for hair, she would've fainted and then asked to see a shrink. Tadase would've assured her of her sanity though….

Amu's thoughts turned sour as her mind procured images of the little prince. His inferiority complex coming into play. It was all his fault that she wound up screaming at Ikuto anyways.

Well it wasn't completely his fault but he was mostly to blame. If he would've just kept his mouth shut, then things would've been okay. She would still be at home curled up all nice and comfy under a duvet covered –instead of being back at work and pissed off at her favorite kitty.

Working wasn't so bad, and in fact that was usually the highlight of her day. She always had fun working the crowd, with their odd assortment of appendages, and physical features. Everything about them was so different and just so honest that she couldn't help but fall in love with the place. Here everyone was who they were, and there was no way they could change that, not that they wanted to in the first place. Their species was a sign of rank and to them it was important.

Even though the Underworld was never governed by an official ruler, or system of order for that matter, they had established their own type of ranking system.

And for each species came a certain type of respect that was an automatic given, no matter how high up on the ranking list you were. Although as of right now they were governed by a type of Monarchy, their ruler reminding Amu very much of C.S Lewis's Aslan from the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe.

He was human-_ish_. He had a human body with animalistic attributes. Now don't get her wrong Amu thought he was absolutely gorgeous, and for someone in their mid-century he still looked like he was only twenty-four.

He had a long golden mane of hair which glistened a fierce red in the sunlight, although he usually wore it tied in a loose ponytail at the base of his neck he still had loose tendrils of hair that would fall to frame his face in the most elegant of ways. He had fangs; these adorable little fangs that seemed to say 'hello, look at me' every time he offered a kind smile, or even simply spoke.

It was transfixing. He had his own Underworld fan club society created solely with the intent of worshipping the very ground he walked on. Not that he needed to walk, he had the ability to fly. Oh yes that's right, he could fly. Why? Because he had a pair of beautiful golden angel wings with soft plume-y feathers that would sweep across the floor as he walked, fanning out behind him creating an almost magical effect.

According to Christina, many a woman hath swooned in the Secret Court, held in the Eternals' Garden. True to his name Gabriel Griffith, had both the power and courage of a lion, an elegant and flowing mane to show his status. He had the ability of to lead his people into a new future with his beautiful wings. And he held this land with a vice like grip within the clutches of his strong hands.

He was an amazing person and Amu could only hope to meet him one day.

Hmm... speaking of the underworld society Amu had found it odd that she had been able to stay so patient in waiting for an explanation about all the weird happenings. She smiled at the memory.

*** flashback ***

_Another rainy day and earlier that night "My Plastered Kiddies" had been packed tight. Amu felt like a sardine in those tiny little cans they were so cruelly packed into with all of their little friends. She pitied them really; being tiny and then forced into a small container with several other tiny people just like them. They were destined to lead a tiny and cramped life. _

_Amu chuckled lightly at her thoughts. Christina, taking it the wrong way quickly rushed over to her to see what was the matter. _

_First she checked her temperature: normal. Next she tried her pulse: also normal. Then finally she tried to tap her knee cap -like those doctors do to see if your reflexes are okay- but then realized that that only works if you're sitting down. And seeing as how Amu had been staring at _her _as if she was the one who had lost her mind she decided to call it quits._

_Christina asked though just to make sure, "Are you okay Amu?"_

"_Yeah I'm fine, why?" Amu looked at her comrade curiously. _

"_I don't know I guess. It's just you're the first waitress aside from myself to have lasted so long." She fidgeted nervously playing with her hair, and looking up at the ceiling. "I guess when I heard you laughing to yourself- I just figured that you finally lost it." _

_Amu stared at her incredulously, trying hard to hold back her laughter, but failing miserably. "Haha! Christina I'm okay! Really." She assured, "I was just laughing at the sad life that sardines live." And when Christina looked at her strangely she continued, "I've always thought about weird things like that."_

_Christina's mouth seemed to form an 'O' in understanding before smiling brightly and resuming her work. But she felt like she needed to clear everything up so she said, "Are you sure you're okay? Like there's nothing bugging you that you desperately need to know?" Christina sweat dropped at her obviousness but decided to ignore it seeing as how there were more important things to be dealt with. _

_Amu seemed to think for a bit before answering, "Well there's the whole 'Underworld Society' thing that I don't quite understand." Christina was shocked at her straightforwardness but was glad that she had said it, "but," Amu continued, "I always just figured that you or Elizabeth would tell me when you guys really trusted me."_

_Christina was stunned to say the least. The past 4 waitresses have either, ran out in hysterics, screaming out the name of 'Jesus' or they've pestered them so much that they drove themselves insane. _

_The level of consideration in Amu's reasoning for leaving the subject alone, showed a great deal of inner strength and an amazing character, that Christina couldn't help the bright smile that formed on her lips. _

_Amu made to keep going only to be interrupted by Christina. "I think that judging you just based off your last answer that we would be able to trust you with our lives and be able to rest easy Amu." She said kindly and without hesitation. _

_Amu smiled brightly, putting the cups the she and Christina had just finished washing, while Christina moved to the opposite end of the bar, pulling out two large round bowls, and a huge tin of vanilla and chocolate ice cream. She magically procured a can of whipping crème as well as some bananas, and as Amu turned to face Christina she noticed a large bottle of hot fudge floating towards her. _

"_Could you grab that?" Christina said, while she busily rummaged around through the cabinets. Nodding dumbly, Amu grasped the bottle of fudge as it finally came within an arms reach, moving closer to Christina as she popped up with a happy 'aha!' holding two spoons. _

"_Have seat homes!" Christina said jokingly, preparing their banana splits. Sitting down Amu fidgeted slightly before asking, "Umm…Christina?" she looked up at the tiny blonde, "How did that bottle of fudge come to be floating?" her eyes darted a bit but eventually came back to land on Christina's smiling face. "It was a gift."_

"_A gift?" Amu asked dumbfounded. _

"_Yeppers, a gift." Christina said nodding. Amu just looked at her twice as confused, "So does that mean Harry Potter exists?" _

_Christina exploded into laughter, "No, sadly he doesn't," she paused to regain her composure, "It was a gift from the Higher Ups after passing my ordeal with Elizabeth successfully." She sliced the bananas in half length wise before continuing. "They gave me telekinesis." _

"_Tele…ke..nesis…" Amu repeated slowly trailing off at the end. Christina simply nodded her head in affirmation. "Oh," was all Amu could think to say before snapping her head up quickly to ask, "What's an 'Ordeal'?" her eyes curious. _

"_Unlike Ronii and Sunny we were very new to the whole Underworld scene just like you. After surviving a year and managing to help Ronii and Sunny keep the peace the Higher Ups requested to see us."_

_Amu's jaw almost dropped at the last statement. They got to go see the Higher Ups?! That's incredible! Christina continued, "But because we were humans They weren't sure how long we'd last under the pressure of working here, soooo they gave us a task."_

"_A task?" Amu asked curiously. "Yep! They created their own little replica of the Underworld Society in an alternate dimension then flung me and Elizabeth in there without a second warning." She piped cheerily. Amu stared at her a bit horrified. _

"_In the end they had replicated the coming of the Apocalypse and told us to stop it," she paused laughing lightly, "I was scared out of my fucking mind, but somehow we managed to pull through." Amu stared amazed; they had managed to prevent the coming of the apocalypse. Well sort of... in a weird sense. _

"_When we got back," Christina said smiling, "Ronii and Sunny were waiting at the bar with Mcfly for us." She paused and stared up at the ceiling, "Ho man that was such a great night. We all partied so hard, and everyone thought that Ronii had gone off the deep end and drank all the rum… but that was just Danny from Mcfly." She laughed, and Amu smiled. Wishing she had been able to create memories like that, but then again hadn't she? _

"_Anyways I figured that it's about time I tell you about all of this." She said gesturing wildly around the bar. But Amu interjected before Christina could continue, "So the Higher Ups gave you telekinesis for passing the ordeal? Why?" _

_Christina looked at her thoughtfully, "Well They also extended both mine and Elizabeth's lives by a couple'a centuries, and made us each a lot physically stronger. But I guess it was because we were Human and they wanted to give us some type of upper hand over the rest of the Society since we now had to defend it. I guess you could say that it was to keep us from dying so easily." Amu was utterly amazed; these 'Higher Ups had that type of ability? She pressed on with building excitement, "So what'd they give Elizabeth?"_

_Christina looked thoughtful, "She can set stuff on fire with her mind." Christina chuckled a bit then, "So you can honestly say that she's a bit of a pyromaniac." Amu laughed at that. As Christina continued, "After that had happened we had asked Ronii and Sunny what their ordeal was, and they just looked at us and smiled." _

"_Why?" Amu asked. Did they not have to go through one? _

"_They didn't need one." _

_Amu's eyes widened at that bit, so she was right. They didn't have to go through one. But how come?_

_Christina seemed to not have noticed Amu's curious gaze, but continued on anyways. "When we had asked what they meant, they said that they just didn't need one. They were specifically chosen for the job." Christina continued to create the massive banana splits for them both, before grabbing a third spoon and placing it with a second spoon in her owl. Amu looked up at her curiously while Christina simply shrugged and said, "Elizabeth's about to walk through the door." _

_And sure enough she did, bounding in with a large huff, and plopping down on one of the bar stools next to Amu. "Watcha doin?" she asked as she threw off her coat and scarf, laying them neatly on the stool beside her. _

"_I was explaining the 'Underworld' stuffs to Amu, wanna help?" Christina replied. Elizabeth nodded waiting for Christina to continue. Picking up the spoon Christina shoved a nice big spoonful of ice cream into her mouth before continuing, "Well it took us awhile to get what they meant, and we had to do a lot of snooping around to try and come up with our answer."_

"_But wouldn't that be an invasion of privacy?" Amu asked curiously, not really meaning any offense. Christina and Elizabeth both shrugged, "We told them that we were going to ask around, and they said okay." Elizabeth continued, "So we simply figured that they didn't care." Amu nodded understanding. _

"_Well after a week of snooping we chalked it up to them being demi-gods-," Amu choked on her ice-cream at that and Elizabeth patted her back, "-and that that's why they were chosen for the job."_

_Elizabeth continued where Christina left off, "SO when we told them of our conclusion they both laughed. At first we thought that maybe we were wrong, but they quickly assured us that we were pretty much right." Christina interjected from there continuing where Elizabeth had not, "As it turn out, they were created by the Eternals, Higher Ups, Gods, or whatever, themselves." Amu went slack jawed, "Yep! Ronii's creators were the complete opposites of Sunny's so that they would balance each other out."_

"_Creators?" _

"_Yep, Ronii was created by," Elizabeth paused before saying, "the Eternals: Delirium, Chaos… War." Amu could hardly think straight, "I mean there were smaller deities involved as well, but that was just to name a few." Elizabeth waved her spoon around nonchalantly before scooping another bite of ice cream into her mouth. _

"_And Sunny," Christina picked up, "was created by the Eternals: love, wisdom, peace, and so on and so forth." Christina stuck her spoon in her pile of ice cream leaving it there, "They were created around the same time, so they're twins but not really. They were created separately by each group so that they could create a sort of yin and yang effect. That way both sides could be appeased." _

"_But," Elizabeth said, "they have their own free-will so they can go against the Higher Ups orders if they wanted." _

"_Yep," Christina continued, "In fact they have enough power to take on the Higher Ups __**themselves**__ if they wanted to." _

"_The only reason why they don't is because they don't like being in that type of position of power." Elizabeth finished both the sentence and the last of the ice cream pushing the bowl away from her before standing up and stretching languidly, walking over to lounge on one of the many couches located in the pub. _

_Christina rinsed their bowl, taking Amu's as well, before moving to sit beside Elizabeth. Amu followed, taking a seat on the couch opposite, facing them. She stretched out, before curling up around one of the arms of the couches like a house cat. Her eyes half-lidded and lit up in a content and dreamy quality. _

"_But that's basically the story behind Ronii and Sunny, those two are very close, and always will be. Sorta like me and Elizabeth here." Christina said happily. "But we're all very close to one another as a whole, including you Amu." Elizabeth pointed out. _

_Amu smiled happily; glad to have been accepted into this small group of extraordinary people. Elizabeth looked up at her, a small smile playing on the edges of her lips, "So… what do you want to know about our society?"_

_Amu hardly knew where to begin so she simply stated, "…Everything." _

***end flashback ***

Amu began to close up shop, the worst of the costumers already gone by now. Only a few remained: the kid with flaming green hair sat off in a corner conversing with Ronii, both chatting animatedly. The little boy looked over at her, smiled and waved then resumed his conversation with her.

Amu grabbed an empty glass, rinsing it thoroughly then washing it out. She made to grab for a rag but it was gone, so setting the glass down, she quickly ducked beneath the counter to grab a new one, satisfied, she quickly popped back up and reached for the glass.

Only to grab air. Frowning she looked around her, her eyes landing on a pale hand. A hand that she recognized very much indeed.

Looking up she came face to face with, "_Ikuto…?_"

* * *

**DUN DUN DUN!!!! Bahaha I am so evil… no? Alrighty! I know I didn't clear up too much on the whole Underworld Society thing, but there's a reason for that so nya! Xp Also I would like to thank Younggryffindor and Samminthemorning very much I love you both so so much. Heatherful I'm glad you lerved it! And thank you so much if you added my story to the alerts or favorites list. **


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